baggage claim
by troubledpancakes
Summary: bellamy & clarke end up with each others bags after leaving the airport. returning to the airport once again, only to bump in each other on their flight. what's next!
1. Chapter 1

In the rush of catching his cab to the campus, Bellamy grabbed his suitcase with nothing more than a quick glance at the tags. Generic black luggage that he picked up at TJ Maxx was all that he needed- nothing fancy. Due to flight delays, they had landed late and he had to give a presentation as a guest lecturer to a class in half an hour.

Half asleep, Clarke heaved her black bag off the conveyor belt and it trailed lazily behind her as she headed to the exit. She had been flying all night, her final flight landing her in New York, where she was getting ready to lead a seminar on 'Bedside Manner and Personnel Tactics' at a local hospital. She took a left out of the sliding glass doors towards the subway station after she stopped at the newspaper stand to grab a quick coffee.

Bellamy made it to the first class in the nick of time, he walked straight into the room to give his presentation on the 'Effects of Poverty and Discrimination on Youth Crime' to a class in at a small university in New York. He had been flying to different college campuses to give different presentations as an expert for the Baltimore Police Department. He finished his three class presentations and headed to the hotel he was being put up at. He was on the sixth floor and he dumped his suitcase on the bed and headed straight for the wall of windows to stare out at the killer skyline view his room offered.

Clarke's seminar wasn't until the following day so she decided to head to the hotel for an early check-in and take a nap- the coffee hadn't done a damn thing. She didn't bother taking a shower, or even changing before crawling into the plush bed laid out before her. When she woke, the sun had sunk beyond the horizon. It was already past seven and her stomach growled at her. The hotel had a bar and restaurant on the main level and she decided to treat herself to a nice dinner- but that would mean actually using soap and a hair brush. She sauntered over to the chair she had left her suitcase in and unzipped it.

Bellamy loosened his tie as the room had grown dark; he felt he had earned a drink after a long day of presentations, so he decided to change out of his business attire into something more casual. He returned to the bag he had left on the bed and went to open it… revealing a meticulously folded array of women's blouses, a small toiletries bag and an 'Eat, Pray, Love' book. _What the hell?_ This was **not** his bag!

Clarke lifted the flap of the suitcase, only to find various items including an assortment of ties, a leather jacket, dark wash jeans, and a single blue toothbrush. She stepped back in surprise, this was **not** her bag! She quickly searched the handle of the bag for it's tag:

_Bellamy Blake  
__50 E Lancaster Street, Apt 32  
__Baltimore, MD  
__410-555-2109_

Clarke wondered how she could have been so careless as to grab someone else's luggage, they must be freaking out. She sighed and sat down on the bed with her cell phone and input the phone number from the tag.

Bellamy flipped the cover back on the suitcase, it felt invasive to be staring into a woman's luggage. _Oh god, how could I fuck this up?_ At that moment he felt the phone in his jacket vibrating and he pulled it out to see a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, is this Bellamy Blake?"

"It is, who's this?"

"Oh good, my name is Clarke Griffin, and I think I grabbed your suitcase on accident at the airport this morning." she replied. "God knows where mine is." She mumbled as an afterthought.

Bellamy reached over to the label on the strangers bag to reveal Clarke Griffin's information. "Oddly enough, Dr. Clarke Griffin… your bag is in my possession."

She sighed from relief, "Oh thank god! I was worried I was never going to see it again. I'm assuming you'd like your things returned to you, would it be possible to meet tonight?"

"Of course, I'm staying at the Marriott on West."

"Oh my god, well, this should be easy- that's where I'm staying as well. What's your room number?"

Bellamy double-checked his room information, "I'm in 6054."

Clarke was let out a short chuckle, "Step outside."

Bellamy tipped his head at the request, but still on his phone, he poked his head into the hallway. He glanced in both directions, to the left he saw a cute blonde waving at him, phone to her ear, just a few doors down. He hung up the phone as he walked towards her, not failing to notice her curvy figure and watery blue eyes.

"Thank god for strange coincidences?" Clarke beamed at the dark-haired man before her.

"I guess so," Bellamy sighed, suddenly very aware that his hair was disheveled and his tie was loose and askew.

Clarke opened up the the door to allow Bellamy through the entrance, his broad stature barely squeezing past her. He grabbed his suitcase from her bed as she waited for him. She was wearing sweatpants and a white tank-top., her hair in a loose, messy braid down her back.

"You look a little young to be a doctor, Mrs. Griffin." Bellamy joked.

Clarke blushed, "It's just miss, and yeah, I get that a lot." She had her arms folded across her chest as she leaned against the door. He had a lean build, messy dark curls (in a good way) and a medley of freckles across the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. He had a funny way of pursing his lips when he smiled that kind of made her weak. It was an understatement to say he was handsome.

He had picked up his suitcase and dragged it behind him out into the hallway.

"Hang on, let me grab yours."

"Oh, no, I can come-"

"No, no, please, let me."

Clarke hung back in the doorway and she watched the man stroll back to his own room, disappearing into it for just a short moment. He came back into sight with her own belongings and she let out a deep breath with a smile.

He noticed how her eyes got real bright when she smiled, and he noticed the small gap between her two front teeth and the cute dimple in her chin. And he definitely noticed that she was the perfect height to fit against his own… not that he was… thinking about… that.

"Well, what a fun adventure this has been." Clarke said, moving the bag just inside the door.

Bellamy nodded in agreement, "It was nice to meet you doc." He took a small step backwards, smiling, before shoving his hands in his pockets and returning to his room. Once he was back in the quiet of his room, he grabbed a wad of clothing from his bag and headed for the bathroom. He indulged in a quick shower to freshen up before he headed down to the bar, feeling relieved to finally be rid of the stiff suit he'd been stuck in all day.

Clarke moaned in delight as the warm water ran down her body, her mind reverting back to the radically handsome gentleman three doors down. Realizing just how warm she was getting, she quickly turned the faucet to the cold setting to bring her back to reality. She wrapped herself in a towel and meandered back into the room. She dressed herself in one of the meticulously folded blouses and a pencil skirt, dabbed on a bit of red lipstick and though still damp, wove her hair into a braid.

No sooner than she'd pulled on her second shoe she heard a knock at the door. Small lines formed a crease between her eyebrows at her curiosity, but she moved to open it.

"Hi."

Bellamy Blake was standing before her, no longer in a wrinkled suit, but in a black v-neck and dark wash jeans, topped off with a leather jacket and newly ruffled hair. Clarke raised her eyebrows slightly as she noticed his eyes casing up and down her own figure.

"Did you forget something, Mr. Blake?" Clarke cocked her head with a sly smile.

"Yeah, I did." He did that weakening thing with lips and his eyes crinkled just slightly, _"Do you want to get a drink?"_


	2. Chapter 2

because I had several people ask for more - fine you get more, I've spun out of /I don't even know who I am anymore.

there's a lot more of this - just wait.

* * *

Clarke floated through the next day. She floated through her seminar. She floated through dinner with a few of the doctors from the seminar. For some damned reason, she couldn't get a certain tall, dark, and handsome cop out of her mind.

_"So let me get this straight," Bellamy counted, "you graduated from high school at seventeen, got your bachelors at twenty, and you're already a doctor at twenty-eight?" He couldn't hide the astonishment from his face._

_"Yeah, something like that." Clarke hated having this much attention on her, but there was something so magnetic about this man in front of her._

_"I will drink to that, princess."_

She had a late flight to catch to Las Vegas after dinner and she had the front desk call her a cab while she collected her things from the concierge. She had made sure to tie a small ribbon on her bag this time around so she'd be more capable of correctly identifying her own luggage.

_"Eat, Pray, Love. Huh?" A stupid grin lit up his face._

_"Shut up, it was a gift! I promised my grandma I'd read it before Thanksgiving- something for us to talk about."_

_"That's… adorable." Clarke just shook her head at him as he waved down the waiter._

_"Can I have another beer, and.." He looked pointedly at Clark to gather whether she wanted another drink. She was holding an almost empty martini glass; thinking for a short minute, she took the last swig and nodded approvingly. "Another martini for the lady."_

_Clarke smiled at him."Also, the world needs to know: who carries that many ties for such a short trip?!"_

_"I like options!"_

She stood in the security check line at the airport, she had thrown on leggings and an over-sized sweater- comfy clothes for a long, late-night flight. She had only her small carry-on with her Kindle and iPod, ready to fall asleep as soon as the plane took off. She made it through the security checkpoint relatively hassle free, only realizing she had forgotten to throw out the bottle of Diet Coke she hadn't finished earlier- oops. Finally, Clarke made it to her gate and plopped down on an empty row of seats by the window, pulling out her Cosmo magazine. (Not every day is the right kind of day for Eat, Pray, Love.)

Bellamy had one final lecture in the mid-afternoon, so he took the morning to walk to Central Park and have lunch at one of the food trucks parked around the city. After the last class, he had dinner with a few of the professors he was guest lecturing for before he headed to the airport.

He was running a few minutes late (due to the fact that he couldn't hail down a cab) and he made it through security with just fifteen minutes left until boarding ended and he'd be forced to spend the night in the airport until the next flight to Vegas. He had stopped to grab a sandwich at one of the shops before they closed, arriving just as the line for boarding call started moving. He hopped in quickly and made his way to the plane. A small leather messenger bag was draped across his body as the made his way down the narrow aisle, rows of three lined each side. The flight wasn't too crowded, and he was lucky enough to have gotten a window seat. As he settled into his spot, he glanced over to his left, body freezing mid-action. _Shit._

Directly opposite him in the window seat across the aisle sat a certain spunky blonde from the night before. She was absentmindedly sifting through articles in her purse. He froze, mind flashing back to last night.

_"So, you helped start three new Big Brother Big Sister programs- and even had your own Little Brother?" Clarke leaned forward on the table, glass still in her hand as she beamed at the much more relaxed cop in front of her._

_"Well, I mean, I practically raised my sister, Octavia, but I also know how feels not to have a prominent male figure in your life. When I was young, I got myself into a lot of trouble because I thought it made me a man. I did whatever the hell I felt like, and it ended up causing my family more pain than anything. Growing up without my dad was hard, especially after my mom died and it was just me and Octavia. It wasn't easy being in charge, but she was my responsibility and I had to grow up."_

_A few hours, and several drinks later, they had found themselves in front of Bellamy's door- only inches between them. Tension hung in the air as Bellamy dug his key from his back pocket, body leaning in towards hers, faces now only a breath away._

_He cleared his throat, "Um, do you maybe want to come in?" He fiddled with the key in his hand._

_Clarke's eyes met his, her body warm from the alcohol, and she bit her lip in contemplation. "You know, I really should get going." Her eyes dropped to the floor as she took a tiny step backwards. "I have an early morning."_

_Bellamy gave a sad, understanding smile, "I get it. I probably should get some sleep, as well…"_

_Clearing his throat he straightened his body back up, giving Clarke a little more space. (Not that she really wanted it.)_

_"Good night, Mr. Blake," she tipped her head as she began to work her way backwards toward her own room- practically falling over herself._

_"That's Detective Blake, to you." He winked as he slipped his key into the door, opening it slowly to observe the charming doctor walk away._

_She whipped her head around for one last look, flashing a smile, before procuring her own key from her purse and entering her room._

And now there she was.

On his flight.

On the same row.

An aisle away.

He was staring now, and before he could catch himself she turned and saw him- her mouth dropping open in surprise.

"Well, well, well…" She smiled.

"Uh, ha, hi there." He stammered. What the hell?

"Hi, back."

The flight had finished boarding, and neither one of them had anyone fill the rest of the seats on their respective rows. A few awkward moments of silence hung between the practical strangers before Bellamy made a move to get up from his seat.

At that same moment the flight attendant swooped in, "I'm sorry sir, we're about to prep for take-off, I will need you to fasten your seatbelt."

"I just-" he started, "Ack, okay." He sat back down, eyeing Clarke on the other side of the aisle. She smiled at his failed attempt. He strapped back into his seat and waited patiently for takeoff, tapping his fingers on the arm rest.

Some time later, the seatbelt light finally dimmed, and Bellamy unfastened his and slid into the seat beside Clarke.

She narrowed her eyes at him with a smile. "Are you stalking me,_ Detective_ Blake?"

"Now, I could ask the same of you, Doctor Griffin."

She grinned, "It's nice to see you again, Bellamy."

"So, what's in Vegas?" Bellamy asked her, his body turned as much as possible in the tiny airplane seat so he could face her.

"I have another seminar in a few days just outside the city, so I thought I'd take a tiny vacation_ inside_ the city before it. I've never been to Las Vegas before, and my best friend Raven always told me it was something I had to do before I died. She's actually going to meet me here the day after tomorrow."

"Sounds like a fun weekend."

"Yeah, I've been on the go so much the past couple of weeks with all these seminars, it'll be nice to have a little fun." Clarke sighed.

"Sounds like you deserve it."

"And what about you, fancy police man? What awaits you in Sin City?" Clarke teased.

"I'm actually heading to a convention, real hoity toity. There's a big party tomorrow night to kick off the weekend," he answered. "... Hey, you should come with me! I bet it'd be a lot more fun if I had a beautiful lady, such as yourself, by my side."

Something about this man was intriguing to Clarke, and she had a hard time coming up with a reason to say no. "Where is this convention being held?

"MGM Grand."

"Well, that's a _bit_ fancy for me. I'm just staying at a humble little hotel off the strip."

"I'll come and pick you up, it'll be great."

She thought about it for a moment. "Okay…" she finally said, cautious. "How's eight o'clock sound?"

"Perfect." Bellamy smiled and leaned back in his seat, allowing Clarke to settle into her own. She pulled her headphones from her bag and shot tiny glances to Bellamy who remained sitting next to her instead of returning to his own seat.

It was late and the flight was long, but Bellamy actually enjoyed the turbulence. Clarke had fallen asleep with her head resting in her hand. The plane made a small bump and she came to- a little disoriented but not actually awake. She leaned over and laid her head against Bellamy's arm, adjusting her whole body to get comfortable in her new position.

He grinned to himself. He was okay with this.


	3. Chapter 3

Dear followers- due to the fact that I much prefer the AO3 format to the format, I will no longer be posting my stories here. For a while I was doing both, it's too much of a hassle. If you wish to continue to follow my stories Baggage Claim and/or Mistakes We Knew We Were Making, you can find me on AO3 - where I will continue to write and update stories. Sorry for any inconvenience, I will keep Home is Where the Heart Is up, since it's completed, but the other stories will be removed so not to attract people to an abandoned posting.

I hope you will follow me over to AO3 - /users/troubledpancakes/works, or on tumblr - - I appreciate all your wonderful feedback/follows/reviews/etc - they help me get better.

xoxo, katelyn


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